08 June 2022 - Press Release

Robotics Sector Asks Industry to Sign “GOOD WORK CHARTER” by European Engineering Association

• EUnited sets standards for the future of work
• Human-centric approach to Robotics and automation

“The Good Work Charter is a groundbreaking initiative for sustainability and corporate social responsibility with regard to the future of work in Europe,” says EUnited Robotics Chairman, Wilfried Eberhardt.

Supporters Campaign for GOOD WORK

Companies that use robotics in their production as well as manufacturers of robotics and automation technology can become supporters by signing a declaration of endorsement. Signatories are asked to provide concrete examples of implementation to demonstrate how they follow the Charter´s principles.

Human-Centric workplaces

The Charter wants robots to relieve workers, e.g. of the dull, dangerous and dirty work that is not well-suited for human nature - employees should work like humans and not like machines. Robots should assist humans and create opportunities for their professional development. Altogether,

10 focus areas define how to attain human-centric workplaces with a high degree of automation.

How companies implement GOOD WORK standards

The following examples illustrate how companies already put the principles of the GOOD WORK CHARTER into practice:

• Focus – Working like humans, not like machines
  A very important but rather repetitive task is to scan books. National libraries, magazine publishers or companies of all sizes want to digitize their archives. Robot manufacturer IGUS, based in Cologne, Germany, developed an automated book scanner. This machine relieves human colleagues from endless page turning. All they have to do is to decide which books to scan (Automated book scanner I igus.eu). 

• Focus - Human robot collaboration and fusion skills 
  Employees at a BMW Group plant are supported by a KUKA cobot. In the assembly process, workers previously had to lift heavy differential cases that are difficult to grasp. Now, the robot helps handling the ergonomically demanding job of adjusting the front axle drive by the millimeter. Humans and robots are working hand in hand to install the differential cases for the front axle transmissions in less than half a minute (HRC system at BMW's production plant | KUKA AG).

• Focus – Inclusion and participation
  The collaborative robot, Sawyer, supports people with disabilities at a sheltered workshop in Iserlohn. The system projects individual assembly steps onto the work surface, thereby guiding the employees through the process. Once the part has been assembled, other employees perform the visual quality check with Sawyer’s support. The goal of the project by Iserlohner Werkstätten and Rethink Robotics is to create systems that can help to prepare people with disabilities for their first job (Rethink Robotics News | Rethink Robotics).

• Focus - Ease of use
  Robotics is no longer only a domain for a select group of highly trained roboticists and engineers. The mission of Danish Startup Nordbo Robotics is to “democratize robotics” by providing a technology that allows everyone to automate tasks with no prior programming experience. Its Mimic Kit allows workers to intuitively record movements and transfer them to the robot. This provides new opportunities for employees to improve their professional perspectives (Nordbo Robotics Mimic Kit I nordbo-robotics.com).

For more examples – How companies implement human-centric robot applications in line with the principles of the GOOD WORK CHARTER - please contact EUnited Robotics, via E-mail fariba.khatami@eu-nited.net or phone: +32 2 706 8222.


Become a signatory - GOOD WORK CHARTER

How to become a signatory: upload/sectors/robotics/GoodWorkCharter/GWC_Info.pdf.

Please contact Fariba Khatami, EUnited Robotics, via E-mail: fariba.khatami@eu-nited.net or phone: +32 2 706 82 22

Download

The European GOOD WORK CHARTER is available for download at: www.eu-nited.net/goodworkcharter

Do you have any questions? Please contact:

Patrick Schwarzkopf
E-mail: patrick.schwarzkopf@eu-nited.net
Phone: +32 2 706 8222

Download additional material:

• Press release:  "Robotics Sector Asks Industry To Sign “GOOD WORK CHARTER” By European Engineering Association" (PDF)
  

• Images:

	Cover page of the Good Work Charter Source: EUnited Robotics
	Collaborative Robot Arm Source: F&P Robotics
	Wilfried Eberhardt, Chairman EUnited Robotics and CMO KUKA AG
	Logo - EUnited Robotics
	Logo - Good Work Charter
	Human-robot collaboration Source: KUKA
	An exoskeleton reduces work-related strain Source: Ottobock
	Humans in command! Source: ABB

About EUnited Robotics

EUnited Robotics is a sector of EUnited AISBL based in Brussels, established to serve the robotics industry in Europe. We aim to develop, advocate, and communicate topics of industrial relevance to support our members, expand Europe’s competitive edge and boost its global economic standing.
www.eu-nited.net/robotics